Store-service apparatus



(No Model.) v 7 0. ST. ONGE. STORE SERVICE APPARATUS.

No. 438,201. Patented 0@t.'14, 1890.

IVITWESSES 4% WM I I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLIFFORD sT. oNe OF NEGAUNEE, MICHIGAN.

STORE-SERVICE APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 438,201, dated October14, 1890.

Application filed June 20, 1890.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CLIFFORD ST. ONGE, a citizen of the United States,and aresident of Negaunee, in the county of Marquette and State ofMichigan, have invented new and useful Improvements in Store-ServiceApparatus; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, andexact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to that class of storeservice apparatus in whichthe carrier running on a wire is propelled by mechanical means.

The object of my invention is to provide mechanical means which may beoperated by hand for propelling the carrier on the wire or ways; and itconsists in an actuating-lever fulcrumed to a fixed support and pivotedto and supporting a system of levers also fulcrumed on the fixed supportand provided with means for holding the carriage until its full momentumis obtained and then releasing it, and in the peculiar construction,arrangement, and combination of the several parts; as hereinafter moreparticularly described and claimed.

Figure 1 is a front view of my invention with the levers extended andthe front of the box removed. Fig. 2 is front view showing the leversretracted. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the short levers. Fig.4 is a perspective view of one of the long levers of the system.

In the drawings, A represents the fixed support on which the apparatusis suspended. In this case it is a hanger suspended from the ceiling ofthe store; but any other convenient support may be used.

B is a box firmly attached to the fixed support, in which the operatingmachinery is placed, with suitable openings for the lever and otheroperating parts which pass out of the box when in operation.

0 is the taut wire on which the store-service carrier runs, which isattached to the rear side of the box somewhat below the vertical centerof the box in any convenient manner. The wire is attached to a like boxat its other end and drawn taut for the passage of the Serial No.366,119. (No model.)

carrier to and fro. The carrier D runs 011 wheels and is of any commonconstruction used for this purpose.

E is a lever pivoted to the back of the box on the inside by the pivot eand extending below the lower side of the box far enough to furnishsufiicient leverage to actuate the system of levers to which it isconnected by the pivot h, on which the system of levers is supported. I

F is a coiled spring attached to the rear end of the box at f and at theother end to the lower arm of the lever E at f for the purpose ofretracting the lever and the system of levers after the carrier has beensent over the wire by the forward movement of the lever.

G G are two short levers having the projection 9 g on the inner side attheir ends pivoted to the back side of the box and to each other by thepivot g at a point near the rear end of the box and just below the wire0, the lever G being next to the back side of the box and behind thewire.

H H are levers having on their-inner sides a slight proj ection h, attheir ends and centers pivoted to the free ends of the short levers G G.These levers are twice the length of the levers G G, and the lever H isso pivoted to the lever G that it is in front of the wire 0, and thelever H is so pivoted to the lever G that it is behind the wire (3. Thelevers H H are pivoted to each other and to the lever E at their centersby the pivot h.

I I are levers of the same construction as the levers II II and arepivoted to these levers at their free ends and to each other atv thecenters, the lever I being in front of the wire and the lever I behindit. The projections h on the inner sides of the levers at their ends andcenters set the arms of the levers far enough apart to allow theinterposition of the wire between them without interfering with theiraction. By this construction and the method of supporting theoperating-levers on the pivot by which they are attached to the fixedsupport, and on the actuating-lever by the pivot which connects them toit, their support and action are entirely independent of the Wire onwhich the carrier travels. A series of these levers of a sufficientnumber to give the necessary action are pivoted together and terminatein the short levers J J at the outer end of the series. These levers areof the same construction as the others, except that they may be slightlycurved outward in the arm pivoted to the inner levers and are cut offjust beyond the center pivot.

K is an arm of the lever J projecting upward at such an angle that itsouter face is vertical or at right angles with the wire 0.

k is a finger projecting outward from the upper end of the arm K andparallel with the wire 0, for the purpose of receiving and holding theend of the carrier D.

L is an arm of the lever J similar to the arm K on the lever J.

M is a spring suitably attached to the outer end of the arm L andextending outwardly and parallel with the finger k on the arm K.

Z 1s a catch at the end of the spring M and on its upper side, its outerend being beveled to enable it to slide easily over the inclined planein front of the catch 01 on the carrier, with which it engages whenholding the carrier at rest. The system of levers is supported by theactuating-lever E by the pivot A like system of levers is used at theother end of the wire.

D is a bar extending the whole length of the carrier and firmly attachedto the hangers O O, which support the wheels which run on the wire.

d d are catches at each end of the bar D, the outer end being aninclined plane to engage with the catch Z on the spring M. The ends ofthe bar D should be just the thickness to enter between the finger 7cand the spring Z. The other parts of the carrier may be of anyconvenient form or construction.

If it is desired to operate this device from only one end, the levers Eof the two systems azepconnected by a cord or wire, as shown a Theoperation of my device is as follows: The carrier being held by thespring-catch Z and the finger k, is in position to be started on itsjourney, the system of levers being retracted and within the box. Theoperatinglever E, extending through the lower edge of the box, is movedquickly forward. This moves the pivot it forward and brings the outerends of all the levers of the system nearer the line of their centersand throws their outer ends forward. This motion is transmitted from onepair of levers to the next and constantly increases in speed as far asthe system extends. As the carrier is held by the outer levers of thesystem, it is propelled forward at the same speed with which they move.As the outer ends of the levers approach each other, and as theelongation of the line approaches its utmost limit, the finger k and thespring Z open and release the carrier, which is free to proceed on itsjourney.

It is evident that the speed of the carrier depends upon the number oflovers in the system and in the quickness with which the operating-leveris actuated.

In practice it will be found that a very small system of levers and aslight expenditure of force will do all the work required in anyordinary store-service.

This device may be used with any system of ways or carriage.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. In a store-service apparatus, thecombination of the wire on which the carrier travels, with the carrierrunning on the wire, the system of levers to propel the carrier,supported independently of the wire, and the actuating-lever attached toa fixed support and supporting the free end of the system of levers, allsubstantially as described.

2. In a store-service apparatus, the combination of the wire on whichthe carrier moves, with the carrier traveling on the wire, the system ofoperating-levers to propel the carrier pivoted to a fixed support andsupported by the actuating-lever, and the actuating-lever pivoted to thefixed support of the operating levers, all substantially as described.

3. In a store-service apparatus, the combination of the wire upon whichthe carrier travels, with a system of propelling-levers suspended from afixed support and supported by the actuating-lever independently of thewire on which the carrier travels, all substantially as described.

4.. In a store-service apparatus, the combination of the wire upon whichthe carrier travels, with a system of propelling-levers pivoted to afixed support and supported by the actuating-lever, the finger andspring-catch on the outer levers of the system to receive and hold thecarrier, the carrier adapted to engage with the finger and spring-catchon the levers, and the actuating-lever, all substantially as described.

5. In a store-service apparatus, the combination of the wire on whichthe carrier travels, with a system of propelling-levers pivoted to afixed support and supported independently of the wire on which thecarrier travels by the actuating-lever, the actuating-lever fulcrumed ona fixed support and pivoted to and supporting the propelling-levers, thefinger and spring-catch on the outer levers of the system to engage withthe carrier, and the carrier on the Wire adapted to be propelled by thesystem of levers, all substantially as described.

CLIFFORD ST. ONGE.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH H. PRIMEAU, NAPOLEON J. BEAUDIN.

